Unkindled
by DeadLight63
Summary: An Unkindled begins her journey to link the first flame. Along her path, she will meet great challenges and trials, some pushing her to her absolute limits... But to be Unkindled is to carry a duty. And it is a duty she will not leave unfulfilled.
1. Bellena's Awakening

Light. She could see a light. She groaned, bringing her hands up to her sides as she pushed herself up to her knees. From what little she could see past the light, she saw what looked like a cemetery, headstones lining the hillsides as far as she could see.

"Where... Where am I?" She wondered. The last thing she remembered, she was attacked by a band of sellswords with her company. She could have sworn she fell in combat, struck down by a blade of an unseen warrior. Yet, here she was, alive and breathing. It just didn't make sense. A realization came to her as she mad these thoughts. She felt cold. Unbelievably cold. But why? She pushed herself to her feet and stood, taking in her surroundings as she noticed the sound of a distant bell. What was going on? Why was she here?

"Okay... One thing at a time... Try to remember..." She thought. For a time, she tried to recall where she came from, but to no avail. Desperate, she grunted and steadied her weak frame against the stone. Again she sought the name of her home, but nothing came to her. She could not remember where she was from. Her name. She had to start with her name. Bellena. Bellena Starvos, a knight. She knew that much. Her father was a knight before her, and she took his place when he grew ill. She could remember! Her mother, what could she remember about her mother? Despite her efforts, she could not recall any memory of her. That's when it came to her. Her mother died due to complications following her birth. She remembered her father telling stories of how he met her mother, and the praises he gave to her during her training, even as he grew worse with sickness.

She shook her head and placed her hand to her forehead. Why could she remember some things, but not others? The bell rang louder, causing Bellena to look up, watching as the sun began to swing over the horizon. Looking back down, Bellena realized she was standing inside of a coffin. Unsettled by this, she carefully stepped over the side of the coffin, and carefully adjusted as she began to regain her strength. Lifting her hand to observe it, she saw the armor she wore, a fine coat of iron resting, with some sore of green cloth. Was this a possible clue to her home? She couldn't be sure. Lowering her arm, she came to notice a small pile of items leaning against what she could only assume was her grave. Among the items was a standard long sword resting atop a medium sized kite shield, both appeared to be in good repair.

Slowly, she stepped toward these items and picked them up, taking hold of them in her hands. Something about them felt... Familiar. Had these been her weapons in life? Where the shield had stood, was a decently sized green flask, carrying some sort of glowing yellow liquid. Wait... She knew this flask. This was an Estus Flask, beloved possesions of Undead. Now, could it be that... was she Undead?

Alarmed, she began to look around, trying to find something to look into. Beside her grave was a puddle of water, clear as the morning sky. Desperately, she clawed away at her helmet and threw it aside, only to see a perfectly human face. Her light blue eyes and pale skin stared back at her as she breathed heavily, her brown hair slighty damp and her cheeks slightly red from the confines of her helmet. This only partially relieved her. She wasn't hollow, but then why was she alive? There was no way she was still alive, the coffin and the grave only reinforced that. Confused, she began to remove the gauntlet from her right arm. The weapon dropped to the ground as she observed her wrist, and saw what she was afraid to see. A Darksign, the mark of a cursed Undead. This didn't make any sense... She was branded as an Undead, but she hadn't hollowed. What was going on?

Looking back to the Estus Flask, she noticed a small red gem in the shape of a cube beside it. She recognized this item, it was a Fire Gem. A burial gift of some kind? Looking back to the graves, Bellena tried to make sense of the situation she found herself in. Despite her efforts, she could not think of anything. The only revelation that came to her was that she hand been branded for some reason, and she would have to press onward to discover why. With a deep breath, she placed her gauntlet back on her arm, and carefully put her helmet back on. She took hold of the Estus Flask and Fire gem, placing them into her kit running along her waist. With sword in hand and shield at the ready, Bellena stepped forward along the path before her. The ground slowly pushed in with a quiet mushing sound, the moisture from the water turning it into mud. As she pressed forward, she came to notice a cloaked figure. The figure weakly held onto a long sword as it slowly waking forward through the mud. Could this be another Undead?

"Excuse me, you there?" She called out cautiously. The figure let out a low moan as it turned to face her, it's bony hands tightening along the hilt of the sword. Bellena raised her shield slightly when she saw it's face, a hollowed, pure white face void of eyes. This was no Undead, this creature was purely hollow. The creature shrieked and raised it's weapon, charging at her at full speed. Ready, Bellena planted her feet into the ground and rose her shield just in time. A loud clang sounded as the weapon harmlessly bounced off her shield, staggering the creature. Taking this opportunity, Bellena raised her own sword and slashed across the creature's chest. Blood spurted from the wound as the creature let out a painful shriek and collapsed, slightly splashing in the mud below. Looking down to the corpse, Bellena kept her shield, just in case the Hollow wasn't truly dead. Slowly, she walked up to it and gave it a gentle kick, and got no response. It was a corpse once more.

Looking to the left, Bellena saw a small fountain, along with a few more Hollowed creatures. At the fountain was a dead knight, who seemed to be clasping another flask in his right hand. It seemed to be blue from the distance. Carefully, Bellena walked closer to the Hollow, it's troubled breathing the only sound she could hear aside from the light splashing below her. As she grew close, the Hollow took notice and charged her. Easily blocking it's attack, Bellena thrust her sword through it's chest, ending the creature's life. With the hollow dead, Bellena looked to the dead knight, and instantly recognized the armor as that of an Astoran. Though she knew little of Astora, she knew it was a land of nobility and elite knights, and well respected among the various lands. Kneeling down, Bellena looked at the knight's face, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey... Are you still there?" She asked quietly. Though she suspected that the knight was truly dead, part of her clung to the hope that he too was Undead, so that she may have a companion on her journey. Some time passed, and the knight gave no response. He was truly dead. Not even an Undead. Bellena hung her head in sadness, then looked to his open hand. The flask held a glowing blue liquid, and was ashen in color. Sighing, Bellena took hold of this flask and placed it on her person before looking back to the face of the knight. He seemed almost peaceful, laying along the fountain. Bellena whispered a quiet prayer and stood, hoping that just maybe, the knight was at peace now.

Looking forward, Bellena looked forward, seeing the various Hollows along the cemetery. Beyond them was a path leading to an incline, and to the right of them was a small flooded path leading deeper into the cemetery. She was unsure of what would be further in the cemetery, and so decided she would follow the path to the incline. After quickly dispatching the few hollows that stood in her way, and proceeded down the path. Graves surrounded her, filing her with a sense of unease. Finally, she made it to the end of the path, and looked out at the massive expanse of mountains of the cliff side. Slightly taken by this, she stepped close to the edge and took in the view as a cool breeze blew, only further reinforcing how cold she felt. With a slight shiver, she turned away from the mountains and walked up the incline.

At the top of the incline was a rather peculiar thing, some sort of bonfire with a coiled sword in it's center. Curious, Bellena walked closer t the bonfire, and observed the fading embers at the base of the fire. Even from this, she felt a slight warmth emanating from it, one that she desired. But it was clear the fire would die soon. Bellena sheathed her sword as she came to a halt in front of the fire, watching the embers grow weaker, it's slight warmth fast fading with them. Lifting her right arm, Bellena recalled the Darksign that marked her as an Undead. She had heard stories of the Undead lighting bonfires simply by extending their hands toward them. Bellena raised her hand into her view, her armor slightly reddened from the blood of the Hollows. Was it truly that simple? Was that all that needed to be done?

With a deep breath, Bellena slowly extended her hand to the fire. As she touched the hilt of the sword, the embers at the base ignited, sending a small fire up the sword. Bellena pulled her hand away as the fire grew stronger, reaching about a third of the way up the sword before stopping. A comforting warmth filled Bellena's body, slowly driving the cold feeling from her. With a deep sigh, Bellena lowered herself down, sitting comfortably at the bonfire and relaxing. She had a long journey ahead of her, this much she knew, so she would enjoy the small comforts of these bonfires. Slightly lowering her head, she closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift, imagining what would lie before her...


	2. Iudex Gundyr

**(A/N WOW it is hard to make these boss fights have the same impact in reading as they do in game. This might be a bit of struggle when it comes to the boss fights. Let me know if I did an alright job with Gundyr, or if this is something I need to work on.)**

Bellena looked behind her, seeing the several dead hollows behind her. For the most part, she hadn't needed to do much more than block one strike then retaliate. Still, it hadn't been the worst she had been through, considering she had legitimately died. At least, if the darksign on her arm was true, and not some trick. The lack of hollowing was what caused her suspicion. She had to get to the bottom of this, and the only way forward...

Looking back in front of her, she observed the stairwell in front of her, seemingly etched from the stone around the graves. What caught her attention, however, was the massive man in the center of the circular area the stairs lead to. In the middle of what looked like an arena flooded by rainfall, a man in armor rested on his knees, impaled by a massive blade. As she slowly walked down the stairs into the arena, Bellena noticed something familiar about the figure. This was only furthered when she noticed the peculiar halberd implanted in the ground beside him. As a knight, she had been able to browse the history of warriors and knighthood throughout the ages, and she recalled seeing a picture of that particular halberd.

Upon reaching the man, Bellena sheathed her sword, the weight of the blade shifting to her left hip. She carefully observed the man in front of her. His eyes were dead and lifeless, though that might have been a side effect of the massive helmet the warrior was wearing. The armor itself seemed to almost resemble a type of stone. Gently, she reached out and touched the man's arm, and was surprised to feel a cold chill run up her spine as she did. The armor was even colder than her. Pulling her hand away, Bellena slowly walked behind the static man, which she was starting to think may have just been a statue. Once she got a view of it's back, however, those suspicions melted away. On the man's back was some kind of moving black energy. It almost seemed like the energy was a living creature as it sapped away at the man, perhaps that was why the man no longer moved? In any case, it filled with a deep sense of unease.

Looking back to the front of the man again, she took a closer inspection on the sword running the man through. The sword spiraled as it moved towards it's tip,and the middle of the blade was where it penetrated the man in the abdomen. That's when it hit her. This was no ordinary man, this was the champion of old, Iudex Gundyr. Bellena backed up slightly as she took in Gundyr's frame. Gundyr was a master warrior, she remembered that from her studies. He had bested countless warriors, gaining in fame as his list of victories grew. It was when only a lone swordsmen who ended his record by binding him with a coiled sword, did his legends stop. But that's exactly what he was... A legend, right? Looking past him, Bellena could see a massive door covered by vines, much too large for her long sword to cut through. Looking back to Gundyr, she again took notice of his massive halberd, and considered whether it could cut through the vines.

She paused for a moment. Was it really a good idea to wake this warrior of old? After all, things laid to rest were often better left that way, lest madness slowly rot their mind. Could she really do that to him? It was just wrong to condemn someone to that. As she had these thoughts, the bells from before began to ring again, almost as if it were calling out to her. She looked back to the door, knowing without a doubt that the ringing was coming from beyond. The bell was a call for her, she could feel it. Besides, what else could she do? The only thing behind her was the cemetery, and there was nothing for her back there. Realizing that this was her only option, Bellena took firm hold of the coiled sword, and began to pull.

With all her strength, Bellena grunted as the sword began to give way. As the sword slipped out of Gundyr, Bellena stepped back, a gentle splash reaching her ears as her feet went into the water. With another powerful pull, the blade fell free of Gundyr, and Bellena dropped the blade to the ground. Slowly she backed away, slightly raising her shield as the man let out a low, deep groan. Gundyr slowly rose, placing one hand on the ground as the other reached out for his halberd. As his hand grabbed the handle, he slowly looked up, his once dead eyes flashing red a moment. Gundyr let out a deep, menacing growl as his gaze became fixed on Bellena, his grip tightening around his weapon.

Quickly, Bellena drew her sword and backed away, her shield at the ready. She knew what was coming. She would have to fight Gundyr, worse yet, she would have to win. Gundyr slowly rose, pulling his weapon from the ground as his massive size cast a shadow over the arena. Bellena breathed slowly, waiting for the warrior to make his move.

Suddenly, the man sprung into action, lifting his halberd over his head. Prepared, Bellena dodged to the right as the weapon came crashing down, spraying water and mud in all directions. Quickly, she thrust her weapon forward, the blade burrowing into Gundyr's leg before she quickly drew it back, and leapt back just in time to avoid a sideways swipe of Gundyr's halberd. The giant warrior seemed unfazed by this, as he slowly walked around the arena, as if Bellena hadn't struck him at all. Her breathing becoming quick, Bellena too circled the arena, awaiting the champion to make his move.

Gundyr sprinted forward and reared back his halberd, and Bellena raised her shield, ready to block the strike. As the blade made contact with her shield, she was carried off her feet, slamming into the stone of the arena, winding her. As she groaned and brought her hand to her head, she looked up, only to see Gundyr rushing towards her once again. Quickly she rolled out of his way as his halberd once again found the water beside her. Gundyr immediately recovered and raised his weapon over his head once more. Surprised by this, Bellena quickly rolled towards Gundyr, and not a moment too soon, as the halberd crushed the ground below her. Recovering from her roll, Bellena swiped left with her blade, quickly followed by a thrust into his leg. Before she could dodge, Gundyr took hold of Bellena, raising her high into the air.

Fear took hold of Bellena as Gundyr raised her to face him, his eyes once again dead and black. She attepted to scream, but before the sound could leave her, she felt a deep, horrid pain in her stomach. Looking down, she saw that Gundyr had impaled her, blood flowing down her stomach as Gundyr once again raised his halberd over his head. Strength slowly left Bellena's body as Gundyr rose her over his head, and threw her across the arena. Bellena skipped across the ground and splashed into the water, quickly turning crimson from her blood.

Groaning in pain, Bellena weakly rose up to her knees as she reached for an Estus Flask, and shakily brought it to her lips. Shaking, she reared her head back and allowed the drink to fall past her lips, causing a soothing balm to take over her body, causing her strength to return to her. Raising to her feet, Bellena watched as Gundyr charged forward once again. However, this time, she charged back, rose her weapon to her side, and thrust forward. The blade impeded itself into his chest, causing the warrior to stumble and fall to his knees. Roaring in anger, Bellena retracted her blade and drove it into his head, causing blood to gush out of him. Quickly, she backstepped and rose her shield once more as Gundyr stumbled slightly, and rose slowly. How had that not finished him off? Breathing slowly, Bellena steadied herself as Gundyr reached out his empty hand. She was clearly too far away for him to grab her again, so what was he...

This thought was interrupted when Gundyr suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream as the black energy from before began to engulf his entire body. Surprised by this, Bellena backed away and lowered her shield in fright. The energy suddenly multiplied in size, sprouting massive arms and a mishapen head with glowing red eyes, letting out another inhuman screech. Stumbling slightly, Bellena rose her shield once more as the the creature launched itself forward with one hand and swiped at her with the other, only missing by a hair as Bellena desperately dodged to the left. Quickly, she thrust her weapon forward, stabbing the energy that had overtaken Gundyr. The blade seemed to become lodged in the creature, as Bellena struggled to pull it free. Just as the blade came free, the creature shrieked and swatted her away, sending her flying and slamming her against the wall once more, igniting a sharp pain as she crashed into the ground. Shaking her head, she looked back up as Gundyr, or, whatever this thing was now, rose up on it's arm and lifted up to attack her once more. Quickly, Bellena dived out of the way, the creature crashing down where she had been. Backing away once more, Bellena quickly took another drink of her Estus Flask, once again restoring her strength.

The creature charged towards her again, only this time, she was ready. Planting her feet firmly into the ground, she rose her sword into the air as the creature plunged towards her. As the creature landed, the sword plunged into it's center, causing the black energy to seep out of the beast. Screeching once again, the creature fell back, stunned by this attack. Seeing her window, Bellena began to two hand her weapon, and slashed the beast several times before it could recover, causing the beast to stumble once more. Backing away, Bellena raised her sword, taking a defensive stance as the creature backed away.

Slowly, the black energy faded, the red eyes dying out as Gundyr's frame came back into view. As the black energy fully dissipated, the frame of Gundyr fell to it's knees, crumbling as his halberd fell from his hands. Bellena allowed herself to relax as the champion fell dead, his body crashing into the water around the arena. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bellena sheathed her weapon once more, before noticing that where Gundyr had originally rested, was a bonfire. Walking towards it, she noticed the coldness she felt within herself fade away, as if it had never existed. Pleased, she walked towards the bonfire and reached out her hand, only to pause.

Her hand was suddenly flowing with a light glow, almost as if there were embers along her arm. Looking down, Bellena noticed that these "embers" seemed to cover her body in various locations, such as her chest, and even down to her legs. Was this another effect of the darksign? If so, why hadn't she read anything about this? Just what had happened to her exactly? She had so many questions... Sighing, she reached out and ignited the bonfire in the same fashion she had before, hoping that answers were awaiting her beyond the door.


	3. Firelink Shrine

Bellena ran her hand along the pillar of the archway in front of her. Sound, study. Despite the age of the stone, it seemed strong enough to support the weight of the structure inside. Just what was inside, she couldn't be sure. Taking a deep breath, she walked inside, slowly making her way across the stone as she came to notice a massive throne. As she made it further inside, she realized that it was some kind of a shrine, with a wide, circular layout, and a high ceiling. Along the back of the shrine was a series of enormous thrones befitting of lord, five of them, to be exact. Each throne was empty, however, with the fine stone chipped away towards the top of them. Looking around, she came to notice an empty bonfire, without so much as an ember within it. However, this was not what drew her attention. Instead, she took notice of a slim woman in a fine black dress, with a a braid in her pale blonder hair that reached down to her mid back.

Looking to her left, Bellena noticed a stairwell, one that lead to the ground level of this strange shrine. Giving out a small breath, she slowly began to make her way down the steps. Each step reverberated against the closed in walls, leaving an audible resonance in her ears. Bellena paused momentarily, and looked back to the empty bonfire, towards the woman. She seemed to hear these steps, as her head was tilted towards the stairwell. Slowly, she turned her head to Bellena, revealing some sort of silver crown around her eyes. Was she blind? Just as she was about to call out to the woman, she noticed that she was smiling softly, and strangely, it seemed to grow as she faced Bellena. Somewhat unnerved by this, Bellena kept walking down the stone steps. She noted that even with the crown around the woman's eyes, she still seemed to follow her movements. As she finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, the woman turned to face her entirely, and walked towards Bellena.

"Welcome to the Bonfire, Unkindled One." The woman said, once she and Bellena were standing close to one another. Bellena was caught off guard and recoiled slightly at this. Unkindled? What did that mean? Certainly something similar to an Undead, that's the only reason she could have possibly had the darksign. But then... What was the difference? Was there one?

"I am a Fire Keeper. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee." The woman said, before she could respond. Coming back to her senses, Bellena nodded and placed her shield on her back.

"Hello. My name is..."

"Bellena Starvos, a humble knight of a far off land." The woman said, cutting Bellena off before she could finish her sentence. Backing away slightly, Bellena looked in bewilderment and shock at the woman before her.

"You... Know my name?" She asked. The Fire Keeper gave a polite nod of her head, keeping her pale hands folded in front of her.

"Of course. Thine name was given to me long ago. It was forseen that I would serve thee before I truly became a Fire Keeper." She said calmly. Bellena shook her head and rested her hand on her forehead, trying to take this in. This was some kind of preordained event? Rubbing her head, she placed her hand on her hip, pondering the events that had transpired. The darksign, what had she read about this? It was the sign of the Undead. The Undead were signs that the end of the Age of Fire was near, it was the duty of the Undead to link the First Flame, and thus reignite Age of Fire. But, she had just been called Unkindled. Surely, these couldn't be the same thing, could they? Looking back to the Fire Keeper, Bellena noticed that she was still smiling at her, and seemed to be waiting for Bellena to say something to her. Perhaps she could finally get some answers.

"Can you tell me why I've been... Resurrected?" She asked. The Fire Keeper calmly nodded.

"The lords have left their thrones, and must be deliver'd to them. To this end, I am at thy side." She said in a collected tone. Bellena once again found herself in awe. The lords? As in the Lords of Cinder? Was this some sort of a joke? Her, some lowly knight against god like beings that had linked the First Flame? As if she knew what Bellena was thinking, the Fire Keeper spoke again.

"Ashen One, to be Unkindled is to be a vessel for souls. Sovereignless souls will become thy strength. I will show the how." She said. Confused by this, Bellena looked down for a moment, then back to the Fire Keeper.

"How do I do this?" She asked.

"Ashen One, bring me souls plucked from their vessels. Does thou remember any foes thou hast slain?" She asked.

"Well, yes, but how can I have taken their souls? I didn't even know I could do that." Bellena responded. The Fire Keeper simply smiled and gave a small bow.

"You have already obtained them. Ashen one, touch the darkness within me. Take nourishment from these sovereignless souls." She calmly stated. Somewhat unsettled by this, Bellena watched as the Firekeeper slowly opened up her hands, revealing dried blood on her fingers. Blood? Why was there blood? Was she hurt?

"Your hands! Are you..?!" She began to say. But one look at the woman, with her smile still fully intact, answered the question for her, her calm demeanor and stance calming Bellena down slightly. Looking back down to her hands, Bellena sighed and knelt down, and extended her hand towards those of the Fire Keeper. Within seconds, she saw a gentle white light emanating from the Fire Keeper's hands. As this light grew in strength, Bellena could feel... Something moving within her. A strange sort of energy, darting all around her body at a viscous speed. Was it possible these were the souls the Fire Keeper described? Taking a deep breath, Bellena lowered her head and closed her eyes as the Fire Keeper began to recite what sounded like a strange prayer. As she spoke, Bellena felt the energy slow, almost stopping at the Fire Keeper's words.

Focusing, Bellena tried to focus on the energy, and tried to move it. As she focused on various aspects of her person, her strength, her vigor, her faith, she noticed that she began to feel stronger in each of these fields. The energy seemed to ebb and flow in and out of whatever she desired to increase. But what should she make stronger? This journey would surely be treacherous, how was she to know what was best to focus on? Think... Think... What did she need? Gundyr. She recalled Gundyr and remembered how much she struggled with him, her low vigor making it a difficult fight. If this journey would be like him, especially with the Lords of Cinder, she would need as much vigor as possible. Using all of her concentration, she willed all of the energy out of her other attributes and into her vigor. The energy flowed through to her desired trait, though she noticed a small amount of the energy was unable to enter. It must have been too little to increase it further. Regardless, she opened her eyes as she gently stood, the Fire Keeper retracting her hands as she did. As the light faded away from their hands, Bellena could no longer feel the energy within herself. It must have been tied to the ritual.

Looking to the empty firepit, Bellena recalled her path to this shrine, Firelink Shrine, she decided to call it. There didn't seem to be any branching paths to anywhere other than the Shrine itself. If she was supposed to track down the Lords of Cinder, there was no way she could do so from here. Unless... In the center of the fire pit were small embers that seemed persist even among the ash. Bellena recalled the coiled sword, which she had picked up after her battle with Gundyr. Strangely, the weapon had vanished at her touch, though she could feel something moving within her as it did. Looking to the Fire Keeper, she noticed her give a small nod, as if she were confirming what she was thinking. Her attention returned to the fire, as she held out her hand and focused on the coiled sword. As she did, she felt the weight of the sword in her hands, and watched as it formed there in a puff of wind. Surprised by this, she stepped back slightly before regaining her composure. Looking back to the fire pit, she slowly stepped forward, and placed the sword into the center of the embers. As she stuck the weapon further into the ash, the embers seemed to sputter and spark, seemingly invigorated by the sword.

Suddenly, the embers burst into a small fire, tiny flames dancing along the bottom of the blade. Bellena pulled her hand away slowly as the flame grew and came, once again, about a fourth of the way up the blade. She had heard stories of the undead using bonfires to travel to various realms and kingdoms, though they were believed to simply be legends and tall tales to scare children at night. For her sake, she hoped there was some credibility to these stories. But even if this were possible, where was she supposed to start? She didn't have the slightest clue of where to start. But perhaps...

"Where am I to go?" She asked aloud. Turning to the Fire Keeper, Bellena watched as she came beside her and stared at the bonfire, her smile never fading.

"To Lothric, where the homes of the Lords converge." She said in her calm tone. Lothric? She had heard stories of Lothric when she was young. Bellena's father had told her she that Lothric was a land of valiant, powerful knights, faithful worshipers of the gods, and genius scholars. Not only this, but a meeting ground for wyverns and drakes, and supposedly, knights capable of riding these beasts. For her sake, Bellena hoped her father was exaggerating. Taking a quick deep breath, and extended her hand to the bonfire. She pictured Lothric in her mind, with towering castles and massive bridges across the skyline. As she did, she felt a soft wind across her arms and back, as if transporting her to this world. She felt the temperature in the air change, along with the floor seeming to shift beneath her, all while the wind seemed to surround her. Just as she felt the ground stable out beneath her, she heard the Fire Keeper say one last thing before fading away;

"Farewell, Ashen One. May the flames guide thee."


	4. Ruth and Naomi

**A/N WELL. This took bloody long enough to get out there didn't it... Are Americans allowed to use bloody as an adjective? I hope so. Fun to say. REGARDLESS. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and hopefully the next chapter won't take SIX MONTHS FOR ME TO COMPLETE. I don't know how people put up with me.**

Bellena pulled back her hand as she opened her eyes. She discovered that she had been teleported to a small room. The room itself was mostly derelict and in ill repair, seeming to creak without Bellena moving so much as a finger. Roots grew up from the ground, overtaking the cracked stone pillars holding up the ceiling, which also appeared to be unstable. Looking around, she saw some sort of altar, though she could not tell what it could be for. Looking back to her front, she came to notice a large door, though this too looked rather run down. Hopefully it wasn't blocked shut from the other side. Slowly walking up to the door, she came to notice the faint sound of chatter from beyond the door. This caused her to pause momentarily. Recalling her previous life, she remembered a mission with her company, where they heard distant chatter. Although she and a companion showed concern, their commanding officer ensured them that it was merely townsfolk traveling. It turned out to be a band of thieves attacking her company, wounding five men and killing two. What if this was something similar?

Bellena drew her sword and clutched it firmly as she slowly made her way to the door. Reaching out her free hand, she pushed on it, only to be met with firm resistance. This door would require both hands to be opened. Taking a deep breath, she planted her sword hand on the door and began pushing. The door creaked and groaned in protest as Bellena let out a soft grunt of effort. As the door made one final groan of protest, Bellena shoved open the door and quickly rose her sword, pulling her shield off her back and extending it defensively in front of her. Stepping outside, she scanned the area around her, looking for the source of the noise. As she moved forward, she lowered her shield slightly, taking in the scenery of the Lothric.

All around her were enormous towers, with flags displaying the symbol of Lothric atop them. The skyline was bathed in the golden glow of the sun, illuminating the castle. However, beyond the towers loomed dark, menacing black clouds. A storm perhaps? Lowering her shield entirely, Bellena walked towards the ledge of the wall, still peering towards the sky. Now that she had a closer look, she noticed that the clouds seemed to be moving towards the sun, as if to block it out. Was this a result of the dying age? If so, she would have limited time to accomplish her mission.

"Hello up there!" A young voice suddenly called out. Jumping back slightly and raising her shield, Bellena held her sword in front of her as she looked down, towards the source of the noise. Below a small ledge, there rested another bonfire, this time, already lit. Around the fire, however, was the source. Settled along the edge of the bonfire, what looked like two slim, young women, with one holding a bowl and spoon while the other looked up towards Bellena. The first, with the bowl, had long, wavy red hair that reached her lower neck, wore a sorcerer's robe, and fittingly enough, seemed to have a sorcerer's staff resting on the ground beside her. The other, had shorter red hair that covered one of her eyes, and appeared to be wearing some kind of northern armor. The bonfire itself had what looked like a pot above the sword imbued in it.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" Said the one with short hair again. Bellena lowered her shield and walked closer to the edge.

"You two... Are you Unkindled?" Bellena asked.

"That we are." Replied the one with the short hair. Looking up from her bowl, the woman with long hair smiled at Bellena.

"I see the embers on your armor. Care to join us?" She asked. Bellena looked between the two women, unsure of whether she could trust them. Based on what she had read, Undead, which seemed similar to Unkindled, could hollow at any time, turning on even the closest of allies. But, then again, she wasn't hollowing, and despite the darksign, it didn't appear that Unkindled shared many qualities with the Undead. Was it possible they could be trusted? Bellena recalled what the fire keeper had told her, her mission was to deliver the Lords of Cinder to their thrones. She couldn't hope to do this alone, could she? She had to at least attempt to make some allies.

"I... Suppose I could..." She said slowly, sheathing her sword.

"Excellent! We have an extra bowl anyway, come on down." Replied the one with the shorter hair. Placing her shield on her back, Bellena made her way down the stairs as the two women moved slightly, so as to make room for her. Upon closer inspection, Bellena noticed a set of shields resting beside the fire, one a small leather shield, the other a larger, round wooden shield. Atop them were what appeared to be a heavy battle axe and a mail breaker. If she were to guess, these were their weapons. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the one with the shorter hair reached into a pack beside their weapons and pulled out a third bowl, extending it to Bellena shortly after.

"Not expecting to eat with your helmet on, are you?" She asked. Pausing for a moment, Bellena reached up to head, and felt the cold steel of her armor there. Sighing, she placed both hands around the helmet and lifted, feeling a fresh hit of cold air as her skin became exposed to the elements.

"Ah, you haven't hollowed either I see." Said the woman with the longer hair as Bellena sat down. With one hand, Bellena laid her helmet beside her, and accepted the bowl with the other. As she brought the bowl closer to her, she noticed that they seemed relatively new, almost as though they had been packed. Had these women expected to make some kind of journey like this?

"Well, you owe me twenty souls Ruth." The short haired one said as she filled up her own bowl. Bellena squinted slightly and looked between the two women as the long haired one rolled her eyes and gave a light chuckle.

"Ruth?" She asked. The one that had been called Ruth looked up and nodded as she brought her spoon to her mouth. Now that she had a closer look, she noticed that Ruth seemed to have two differently colored irises. Her left eye seemed to be a dull green, as where the right eye was more of a modest blue color. She knew there was a name for this kind of condition, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall the name of it. Looking over to the other woman, she noticed her eyes seemed irregular as well, though rather than two separately colored eyes, they were both a vibrantly colored purple, in addition to a tattoo of a golden sword on her left cheek.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet." The short haired one said. Setting her bowl aside a moment, then placed her hand on her knee.

"My name's Naomi Elnos, I was a warrior of the great north before I died in battle. Needless to say, I've been brought back as one of the Unkindled." She said with a smile. Bellena nodded as she took her sword and set it beside her.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Lady Starvos of an unknown land. My fellows called me Bellena in life." She said with a calm tone. Naomi chuckled lightly and retook her bowl.

"A knight then. Well, nice to meet you m'lady. You mind if I just call you Bellena?" She said before bringing her spoon to her lips.

"Always casual with you Naomi." Ruth said with a chuckle. Bellna nodded to Naomi before she looked back over to Ruth. The young woman had a smile on her face, and looked back at Bellena.

"Ruth Bastieth is my full name. And, I actually remember where I'm from. Vinheim, though, I guess my robe makes that kind of obvious." She said. Bellena allowed herself a small smile at that. Finally looking to the pot that held the soup, she grabbed the ladle and scooped up some of the dish. It appeared to be no more than a broth with a few pieces of meat and vegetables in it. Still, better than nothing at all.

"Neither of you seem that old." She stated as she filled her bowl.

"Well, that's because we're not. I was only 19 when I died, Ruth was just 22." Naomi said. This saddened Bellena slightly. For the both of them to die so young, at least she'd had the luxury of being in her thirties before she had passed. She was also survived by her husband and son, if these two were truly as young as they said, they may be been the last of their line. The poor women... Trying to take her mind off the matter, she moved onto her next question.

"I take it you two ran into each other after becoming Unkindled?"

"Wrong, actually. We knew each other in life." Naomi said. Bellena paused momentarily, and looked over to the warrior. Why was a scholar of Vinheim familiar with a northern warrior? Sitting back a little bit, she stirred the soup with her spoon as she looked over to Ruth, who seemed to be enjoying another spoonful of her soup. Swallowing her soup, Ruth looked up to Bellena and gave a soft sigh of appreciation.

"I was sent on an assignment to Naomi's village, and she was appointed as my bodyguard. As I studied, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, and we became friends." She said. Naomi let out a yell of agreement as she spoke next.

"Best friends, as a matter of fact. I managed to outdrink her every time I invited her to a pub." She boasted with a smile on her face.

"You grew up with that stuff, it was hardly fair!" Ruth said playfully. Naomi simply laughed this off and took another swig of her soup. Bellena allowed herself a small smile once again as she observed the friends laughing with one another.

"So I take it you are aiding one another in your journey?" She asked. Finally bringing the spoon to her mouth, Bellena noted that soup seemed muted, with only the slightest bits of flavor from the soup. Most likely, this was another side effect of the darksign.

"You would be right in that assumption. With my skills in battle, and her spells, we should be able to take the Lords of Cinder." Naomi said. Ruth grunted in agreement.

"Hopefully at least. I'm just worried that some of the later threats we face will give Naomi more trouble than we can handle. I have no doubts about her strength, but the Lords of Cinder have their titles for a reason." She said. Looking back down to her soup, Bellena pondered her options now. These women seemed trustworthy, and appeared to be interested in cooperation anyway. If she didn't attempt to team up with these women, she likely wouldn't be able to find a better group. With a small sigh, she looked to Ruth.

"I can join you in your quest, I am also in search of the Lords of Cinder." She said. Ruth looked up to her for a moment, then over to Naomi. Bellena looked back over to Naomi, watching as she spun the spoon in her fingers, seeming to ponder Bellena's words. After a short few moments, Naomi nodded and looked over to Bellena.

"Yeah, sure, a knight would definitely help out with some of the tougher guys." She said. Looking back over to Ruth, Bellena noticed she seemed to be smiling.

"Well, that's one thing I won't have to worry about anymore. Glad to have you as part of our team Lady Starvos."


End file.
